Kampala, November 4, 2026 — The Uganda Vocational and Technical Assessment Board (UVTAB) held a constructive meeting with Prof. Eriabu Lugujjo, Executive Director of the Uganda Vice-Chancellors’ Forum (UVCF), at Makerere University on 4th November 2026. The discussion focused on opportunities for collaboration and knowledge sharing to strengthen technical and vocational education and training (TVET) assessment and curriculum development within Uganda’s higher education sector.

UVTAB was represented by a three-member delegation: Mr. Narasi Kambaho, Principal Communications Officer. The engagement comes as Uganda implements the Technical and Vocational Education and Training Act, 2025, which provides a framework for streamlining TVET assessment and curriculum development. It also provides for a qualification’s framework intended to support equivalence between TVET qualifications and conventional education, and to create clearer progression pathways.

These changes make collaboration between UVTAB and universities important. Universities can contribute research, subject expertise, facilities and academic oversight to curriculum development and assessment design. Working together can help ensure that training reflects industry needs, assessment measures practical competence, and qualifications are meaningful and portable. The TVET Act 2025’s provisions and respective institutional responsibilities should guide any partnership, including the accreditation and approval requirements that apply to TVET programmes.

University partnerships can also support learners’ academic progress. Clear pathways between TVET qualifications and further study can help trainees build on their skills, pursue higher qualifications. Collaboration should therefore include discussion of progression, recognition of prior learning, and how TVET awards relate to further study within the relevant regulatory and qualifications-framework requirements.

UVCF is a collective platform for university leaders and degree awarding institutions in Uganda. It brings together leaders to promote collaboration, policy engagement, knowledge sharing and the advancement of quality higher education. The Forum represents leaders from 54 accredited universities, of which 11 are public and 43 are private.

Prof. Lugujjo said the Forum’s next annual academic engagement 2026 is expected to take place at Metropolitan University in Mbarara City in Decemeber 2026. The event will bring together Vice chancellors from universities across the country and could provide a further opportunity to discuss cooperation between universities and TVET institutions. UVCF was established in 1997 as a forum for vice-chancellors and heads of higher education institutions to address shared challenges and provide a unified voice for the sector. Its current chair is Busitema University Vice-Chancellor Prof. Paul Waako, a pharmacologist with extensive academic leadership experience.

UVTAB is seeking stronger engagement with universities to support its mandate and contribute to Uganda’s TVET and innovation agenda. Sustained cooperation could help align curricula with workplace requirements, strengthen quality assurance and assessment, and expand appropriate academic progression opportunities for TVET graduates.